The mounting of tires on the rims of automobiles for many years has been with the tires held on the rim by the means of the bead on the tire locking within the retaining edges on both sides of the rim and then filling the tire with air. This application is not used on model cars, because the tires are not inflated with air pressure and the tires and rims must be very lightweight.
A unique style of tire and rim combination has been developed for model cars, especially model racecars, where the tires are attached to the rims by the means of an adhesive. Typically, the tires have a flat inner mounting surface to mate with a matching configuration on the tire rim. Others have an internal groove on each side to mate with ribs of a matching configuration on the tire rim. An adhesive is required to mount the tires to the rims. With this process the tire and rim assembly can be kept extremely lightweight. Presently automobile tires are not made this way, but it must be understood that new developments are constantly being made in the automobile tire field where the car tire attachment mechanism may be applied and fall within the scope of this application.
Numerous innovations for the installation and mounting of a tire on a rim have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present design as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to this application at hand; as well as a description outlining the difference between the features of the car tire attachment mechanism and the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,640 of Richard E. Schifferly describes an automatic or manually operated tire-mounting tool adapted primarily for mounting flexible tires on rims of various sizes and configurations. Such device is comprised of an elongated longitudinally extending working arm with two working ends for mounting and demounting purposes respectively, one end of which supports a vertically disposed rotatably mounted working roller, which roller assists in and facilitates the mounting process, and wherein said mounting arm is equipped on its mounting end with a hooked shaped positioning tong to assist in the mounting process.
This patent describes an automatic or manually operated tire-mounting tool for installing a conventional automobile tire on a rim of a full sized automobile. These tires require filling with air pressure to be operational unlike the tires that are attached to the rims by the means of an adhesive and that are not filled with pressurized air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,282 of Charles G. Leeper tells of a tire changer including a base mounting a tabletop provided with wheel securing clamps. The tabletop is mounted on the base for movement between tire changing positions and a generally vertical wheel loading and unloading position. The tabletop is provided with a tire changing tool driving fixture and a tool is receivable in the fixture and includes a head for engaging a tire bead for changing positions and a tire support surface spaced from the tool head for supporting a tire during the initial stages of a mounting operation eliminating any need for the operator of the changer to provide such support.
This patent tells of a tire changer for full sized automobile tires that could not be adapted to the operation of inserting the adhesive on the flat inner mounting surface or within the internal grooves, depending upon tire type and configuration, of the unique style tire and rim assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,761 of Tullio Gonzaga relates to a tire assembling-disassembling tool for use in a tire assembling-disassembling machine arranged to rotatable support a tired wheel or wheel rim, said tool being cantilever supported on a respective guide member of the tire assembling-disassembling machine, said tool extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel and comprising a tool-carrying arm slidably mounted on said guide member, and at least one nail-shaped member having a first end thereof constrained to said supporting arm so to be able to made roto-translational movements with respect thereto, and the other free end hook-shaped with back facing said wheel rim.
This patent relates to a tire assembling-disassembling tool for use in a tire assembling-disassembling machine. This again is a machine designed for the use on conventional automobile tires and would not work with tires that are attached to the rims by the means of an adhesive and are not filled with pressurized air.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,288 of Rimo Corghi describes a tool for mounting a tire onto a rim, suitable for making it easier to insert the bead of the tire under the bead-stopping edge of the rim and inside the channel of the rim itself; said tools comprises a body equipped with a fixed jaw and with a mobile jaw to which actuation means are operatively connected suitable for taking said mobile jaw closer to said fixed jaw to lock said body to the edge of the rim, a base intended to be rested on the sidewall of the tire being associated with said body, said base being fixedly connected to said body so as to be able to oscillate towards the axis of the rim to make it easier to insert the bead inside the bead-stopping edge of the rim.
This patent describes a tool for mounting a tire onto a rim, suitable for making it easier to insert the bead of the tire under the bead-stopping edge of the rim. This tool working with a tire with a bead would not work with a tire with flat inner mounting surfaces or internal grooves.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,078 of David Robert Bassett discloses a tool for completing the mounting of a bicycle tire onto its rim that is superior to those provided by the tools of the prior tire irons. The use of a tool is usually required to complete the job of mounting a bicycle tire to its rim due to the high tension developed in the bead of the tire at that stage. The present invention does not rely on a levering arrangement at all, but instead employs a traveling inclined plane to progressively lift the tire bead to a height above the rim's edge, and a downwardly sloped incline to allow the so lifted bead to then slide down into the rim's interior. The invention utilizes the flange, or rim sidewall, of the wheel rim for both support and guidance as it is impelled forward on the rim by impacts on its trailing surface from an object suitable for the function, such as a hammer. A slot is incorporated into the invention to receive the wheel's flange.
This patent discloses a tool for completing the mounting of a bicycle tire onto its rim and could not work in the operation of inserting the adhesive within the flat inner mounting surfaces or internal grooves of the unique style tire and rim assembly.
None of these previous efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the car tire attachment mechanism and could not be adapted to working on the tires of model cars. The present design achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing readily available materials.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the car tire attachment mechanism in detail it is to be understood that the design is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement, of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The car tire attachment mechanism is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.